Elissa Daye | Where Do You Find the Time?

I'm often asked where I find the time to write my books. That is a good question, one which used to be easier to answer when I just had my toddler and husband to deal with. Back then, it was anytime they were both sleeping. At that point in time, my oldest daughter actually went to sleep around 7pm and took a fairly lengthy nap in the afternoon. Those were perfect opportunities for my creativity to flourish. But...then the toddler decided it was no longer cool to take a nap and that bed time should be 9pm. That was when it started to get difficult.

Insert huge laugh here, because if I thought that was difficult, it was only the tip of the iceberg. You see, then I was dealing with a toddler. Sure, she has her challenges, but she's pretty independent. She doesn't need me every second of the day, so I had learned to take a notebook and coloring book everywhere we went. I would write; she would color. It worked out pretty well. Sometimes we would go somewhere that had a play land.  That worked as well. Also, while she didn't nap much during the day, she at least played in her room, so I would still get an hour here or there.

So, why the laugh? Well, it would be the baby that is lying in her crib crying her head off at this very moment. (Don't worry, I'm not ignoring her. I've picked her up 5 times since I started writing this post and it's already taken me an hour to get this far in my post).  Unlike her sister, she is not so independent. It's a lot harder, but it's ok. I'm dealing with it, most days at least. Nothing like getting a really great idea and then having a squalling baby in your ear. I guarantee that good idea goes out the window when a good pair of lungs gets started. Add in a jealous toddler, who waits until her sissy is crying to get into everything, and well you start to feel like the ring master of some modern day circus. Our main attractions include: the ferocious face-eating baby (you should see this one), a juggling mama (figuratively, I do not juggle my children, I swear), the death-defying stunts of a princess (seriously, this child is going to give me a coronary), and the three ferrets who happily spend their days in their cage (they like to hide from the toddler).

Are there any solutions? Sure there are, but getting a babysitter or daycare is not an option. I chose to stay home and raise my children. I spend every moment I can enriching their lives, even if it means I put aside what I want for the moment, because they are my everything. For now I am happy to find little moments to write. I find techniques that work for me. One is asking my husband to take the girls somewhere while I write. He is amazingly supportive. Another is baby wearing. That works really well when my youngest does not want me to put her down. When she is well fed, she falls asleep on my chest. I wrap her up in a carrier, which allows me to have my hands free to type. This only happens when all the stars align correctly, because if the toddler decides it is time to play a game, well gosh darn it, it's time to play a game. Her giggle of happiness, well that is certainly worth it.

So if you wondered when the next book in the Destined Series will be complete, the fates only know. Right now they are conspiring against me and that's fine, for I have them to thank for my beautiful children anyway and that's the best consolation prize anyone could ever have. Life is certainly never boring.

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